From conversational storytelling to reaching emerging economies and beyond, sessions in our Brands & Marketing Track explore the constantly evolving world and work of agencies and their clients. Delve into new ways marketing professionals are creating and communicating new ideas by sampling what’s in store for the Brands & Marketing Track this SXSW with our session recommendations below.

“In an age where everyone has a personal brand to consider,” says SXSW Programmer Miranda Wylie, “the Brands & Marketing Track will offer unique perspectives on developing an authentic voice, collaborating for social good, the importance on taking a political stand, and executing a purpose-driven marketing strategy that can capture an audience quickly.”

“Social media makes for an easy and accessible mode of self-expression,” says Wylie expanding upon the session #NSFW: Sex, Online Persona & Feminist Art. “Selfie stick in hand, women are creating art, identities, and creative content that center themselves as the subject, no longer passive objects of desire.” On another session related to self-expression and media, How Gender Fluidity Recasts Brand Engagement, Wylie adds, “the rise of social media has also made for a growing understanding of the varying expressions of gender identity.”

Journey further into the world of the Brands & Marketing Track as we highlight sessions covering social media privacy, gender identity, the U.S. legal cannabis industry, Facebook’s take on mobile ecommerce, and more. Brands & Marketing sessions will be held at the Fairmont Hotel from March 10-15 with primary access to Interactive and Platinum Badges; secondary access to all other badges.

Brands & Marketing Session Highlights

Emoticulture: How Data & Science Create Happiness

It is hard to resist the urge to smile, but the propensity to smile is complex – determined by our surroundings, social training, conscious and unconscious. From Disney amusement parks to Coca-Cola, brands have been creating smiles for decades, but few have mastered the art of creating desired emotional outcomes through digital engagement. Uncover how Doner partnered with Michigan State University to combine data and science to create more happiness in the world.

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Hurry Up: High Times Are Here

The U.S. legal cannabis industry will boom to $50 billion in the next decade, more than eight times its current size. It will reinvent the consumer landscape and many of our familiar products and services. Will Prozac and beer still exist when weed is in the mix? Our panel of experts, including futurist Faith Popcorn, venture capitalist Jeffrey Finkle, and a Fortune 500 brand marketer, will share the seismic shifts ahead, the unforeseen obstacles, and the opportunities to make it big.

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#NSFW: Sex, Online Persona & Feminist Art

Speakers: Leah Schrager (Artist) and Lena Chen (Femina Non Grata)

As social media expands the possibilities for self-expression, a new generation of women artists are using the Internet and images of their own bodies to construct elaborate online personas as artistic projects. Unapologetically sexual and frequently censored, their work challenges the role of women as passive objects of desire. Straddling the line between art and autobiography, the artists tackle topics such as celebrity and trauma while engaging public audiences beyond the commercial art world.

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How Gender Fluidity Recasts Brand Engagement

The changing norms of gender identity and expression and the cultural, legal, and political implications have become heated conversations around the country. How should brands consider gender-expansive audiences as they create new products, services, and communications? Our panelists will discuss new ways of thinking about brand engagement strategy, design, and targeting for non-normative markets and changing attitudes on gender.

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Facebook IQ: The 5 Consumer Shifts Shaping 2020

Speakers: Ann Mack (Facebook), Tomá Beczak (Facebook)

By the year 2020, more people will have mobile devices than running water or electricity at home, mobile will generate half of U.S. ecommerce and 85% of customer interactions will be handled without a human. But if you know where to look, you can find the future all around you, right now — from how people use messaging apps in Southeast Asia to mobile payments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Join Facebook IQ to learn which of these shifts you can leverage for relevance and success tomorrow.

Crossover Track Recommendations

Jump out of your area of focus and try out SXSW sessions across all 24 Tracks of Conference programming. While the following selected sessions are outside of the Brands & Marketing Track, these topics organically envelop more than one featured industry providing a bonus learning and networking opportunity that you’ll only find at SXSW.

Purchase your SXSW Badge and book your hotel today to experience these sessions along with 10 days of screenings, showcases, exhibitions, networking, and more this March 9-18 in Austin, TX. Take the Tracks Quiz to discover which badge fits your needs.